In just two years there have been some excellent additions, and there are some I missed that I want to highlight here. I don’t have cable, so all these can be seen on streaming services (Amazon Video, Netflix, or Hulu). These are not all necessarily all centered on a gay theme. Some of them just have major characters who are gay while the plot revolves around something else entirely.

“When We Rise” chronicles the real-life personal and political struggles, set-backs and triumphs of a diverse family of LGBT men and women, who helped pioneer one of the last legs of the U.S. Civil Rights movement from its turbulent infancy in the 20th century to the once unfathomable successes of today.

This should be required viewing for anyone coming out or anyone who has a loved one coming out. There are a lot of pioneers who paved the way to make it easier for us today.

In this USA Network TV series, two innocent teenage boys secretly meet up in the forest and witness a triple homicide. They barely escape with their lives. Desperate to keep their relationship a secret and in fear of being found by the perpetrator, they remain silent, but soon learn that what has been seen cannot be unseen and when you witness a horrible event it changes everything, forever.

Unfortunately, Eyewitness wasn’t renewed and there’s only 1 season. It has so many plot twists and unconventional characters that I found it riveting. The two main characters are gay and that is a major factor in the plot development, but it doesn’t belabor their homosexuality. This show would be in one of my top TV shows of the decade easily.

The Falls (part 1) is a feature film about two missionaries that fall in love while on their mission. I found this trilogy far more true to Mormonism and my gay experience than any other full length feature on the topic. It’s really well done and with a production value that you don’t always get in gay-themed movies

In part II, Chris and RJ reunite five years after coming out to their families and their church as gay men, where the factors that led to their separation are revealed as they mourn the death of their mutual friend Rodney.

The third and final installment of the hit Falls trilogy! Chris and RJ, former Mormon missionaries who fell in love seven years ago, are struggling to make their relationship work amid conflicts with their families and their faith. Determined to finally find closure and put the past behind them, the two men set in motion a quest for unconditional love that ultimately leads to the very top of the LDS leadership.

This film uncovers the fascinating universe of one of the first gay liberation communities in the world, place in Zurich Switzerland in the 1930’s. The film, based on true events, depicts a decades-long love story — made taboo by society — and reveals the couple’s inspiring self-knowledge and courage.

Passions and politics make a volatile mix in this dynamic drama directed by Roland Emmerich that follows the events that led to the birth of the modern Gay Rights movement. When We Rise is better, but this is a worthy attempt.

Tim and John fell in love at their all boys high-school while both were teenagers. John was captain of the football team. Tim an aspiring actor playing the lead in Romeo and Juliet. Their romance endured for 15 years to laugh in the face of everything life threw at it – the separations, the discriminations, the temptations, the jealousies and the losses – until the only problem that love can’t solve, tried to destroy them.

From the co-creator of Friends, Netflix original comedy GRACE AND FRANKIE stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as two women who form an unlikely bond after their husbands reveal they are gay and leave them for each other. I personally don’t like this show I’ve only seen about 5 episodes. I love all the actors, but I either find it too close to home to be funny or too far from reality to be taken seriously. The bottom line is that I don’t find it funny in spite of the fact that it seems to be very popular.

A traditional Irish Catholic family’s world is turned upside down in this offbeat comedy when the oldest son reveals he’s anorexic, the younger son comes out, their daughter starts questioning her faith, and the parents announce a potential divorce. It is loosely based on the life of Dan Savage, the gay sex/relationship podcaster who started the whole It Gets Better Project. There are 2 seasons so far and I find it far more whimsical and even true to life than Grace and Frankie.

Bruno, an architect, has a nice family and a good job. But he’s also plagued by a deep sense of unease, so he decides to leave his wife to be alone and find himself. Relocating to Santiago, Chile, Bruno starts working with a young local history teacher named Fer. When an unexpected and intense romance sparks between them, Bruno must decide where his life will go from here. I like this because one of the characters is married and I’m also a sucker for the fresh perspectives of a foreign film.

Passions re-ignite and secrets revealed when a graphic designer reconnects with the great, lost love of his life for a weekend tryst at a house in the desert near Joshua Tree. From acclaimed director Tim Kirkman (Loggerheads). This one is a little too art-filmy for me the whole way through, but it you have some time on your hands, why not?

Miklós is coming to terms with his own sexuality, and when his best friend Dan reveals that he has a new girlfriend, this puts an end to their plans to run away together. Torn between loyalty to his migrant family and his own desires, and his world is rocked by the death of his brother. Teenage Kicks with themes of guilt, friendship, cultural and familial loyalty, and burgeoning sexuality.

Over seven decades, actor and activist George Takei boldly journeyed from a WWII internment camp, to the helm of the starship Enterprise, to the daily news feeds of five million Facebook fans. Join George and his husband Brad on this star’s playful and profound trek for life, liberty, and love.

Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (“This Film Is Not Yet Rated”) delivers a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. “Outrage” boldly reveals the hidden lives of some of our nation’s most powerful policymakers, details the harm they’ve inflicted on millions of Americans, and examines the media’s complicity in keeping their secrets.

The Emmy Award and Golden Globe-winning series TRANSPARENT returns for a third season. The Pfefferman family splinters into disparate journeys on their continued path of self-discovery. After a jarring reality check, Maura seeks to become the woman she envisions through gender confirmation surgery. All paths converge on a family cruise to Mexico, affirming that though their family history is murky, each Pfefferman is their truest self when they come together.

(Spanish) Matias and Jeronimo were childhood friends. Before high school, the friendship turns to desire. Until Matias moves to Brazil. Years later, Matias returns with his girlfriend, unexpectedly meets Jeronimo, and feelings reawaken.

One moment links 8 minds in disparate parts of the world, putting 8 strangers in each other’s lives, each other’s secrets, and in terrible danger. A couple of gay characters and bisexual situations are secondary to the plot, but the icing on the cake in this binge-worthy series.

A Spanish production where Philosophy teacher Merlí’s disregard for rules riles director Toni but enchants his students, who struggle with family, identity, romance and fear. Merli’s son is gay and this subplot carries throughout season 1.

Although 28-year-old Louis XIV is the sole ruler of France, the nobles remain a thorn in his side, prompting him to move the court from Paris to Versailles and begin building the palace that will become his home — and their cage. The king’s brother maintains a gay lover.

When small-town auto mechanic Adam announces to his best buddies that he’s gay, they’re stunned and bewildered at first. But after the shock wears off, they learn everything they can about being gay and set out to help Adam find a beau. It’s cute and something you could watch with a straight friend.

A struggling comedy writer, fresh from breaking up with his boyfriend, moves to Sacramento to help his sick mother. Living with his conservative father and younger sisters, David feels like a stranger in his childhood home. As his mother worsens, he tries to convince everyone (including himself) he’s “doing okay.”

Words to live by from the “Queen of Queens” Leah Remini on Dancing With the Stars, October 14, 2013.

Leah Remini had been a lifelong member of The Church of Scientology until earlier this year when she extricated herself from it’s clutches. I’m not sure why she hasn’t been more vocal regarding her reasons or the details that made her feel like escape was necessary and/or a positive direction in her life.

Nevertheless on the October 14th show her assigned dance was to be a contemporary piece to the tune of “Roar” by Katy Perry. The theme for the evening was the most important year in the contestant’s life. Leah chose to ask her professional dance partner to choreograph an interpretive number that would tell the story of her escape from those who controlled her puppet strings.

While not the slickest of dances, it was the best dance of the evening in my opinion. I got goosebumps. I could so relate to the imagery and message of this dance. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, “There is an incredible joy and peace that comes from living on the outside in a manner that matches how one feels on the inside.”

Watch. I hope anyone who needs to find their strength and find their power agrees.

This airs tonight on ABC at 9pm (8 Central) Watch it! I’m the bald dude. (UPDATE: You can watch part of it here)

Most of us feel confident that we can distinguish between reality and fantasy. I tell myself that I can. But I just had an experience that reminded me how tricky reality can be.

I was recently a contestant in a new game show… something akin to Wipeout meets Fear Factor where there are physical challenges but alongside pop culture questions in this case. When the show I took part in was filmed, the first episode hadn’t aired yet so those of us participating only had a vague idea of what we were doing. While I think all 8 of us contestants would have loved to have won the cash prize, I think that only 1 of the 8 on my episode were doing it for that reason primarily. A few were doing it for camera time because they plan to work in the industry; a few just liked the idea of being on TV; a few just loved game shows and reality shows and wanted to join in the fun; a few of us were just the “I’ll do anything” type of people and look for new thrills to participate in; a few are getting old and participating in something like this made us feel younger; a few were too young to know better. I’d say a combination of some of those factors played into my saying, “Yes, I’ll do it!”

After the first episode aired last week, I read several reviews of the new show. What intrigued me most of all were the public’s comments. People commenting were aghast and horrified that contestants were so desperate that they willingly allowed themselves to be nearly tortured and abused for the remote chance of winning an average year’s salary. They were certain that these were poor, desperate unemployed folks doing something akin to selling a kidney for the chance at some money. All I know is that the people I met that day were not being unknowingly exploited…and that money was only a small part of the motivation. These were a fun group of people…the kind of people you’d want to go to an amusement park with.

The cool part is that on that first episode that aired the stunts and challenges really did look dangerous enough that one would question the sanity of the participants… and the liability risk of the studio and production company. But what these “rational” and “level-headed” comments failed to process and acknowledge was the chance that what they saw wasn’t as real as they perceived it. Their reaction actually proves the skill and and talent of Hollywood to produce believable stunts via camerawork, direction and editing.

Having participated, and without giving too much away, I can say that I never felt in danger of being injured. In fact, the producers and assistants had to constantly remind us to express fear rather than excitement when the host described our stunts. I also saw some of the behind the scenes safety precautions and the special effects employed; lastly I witnessed how editing in that first episode tripled the danger factor for those at home watching.

In the scene where I was eliminated, for example, there were no sharks and we had no idea they were going to edit in shots of a shark fin later. It just wasn’t part of our experience at all except for one point where the host was joking about sharks. All three of us contestants were from Southern California and this took place in LA Harbor. None of us feared sharks. They kept telling us to act more afraid.

I was much more fearful during the anchor at the edge of the pier scene. I don’t know why. The pier was closer to the water than the crane on the back of the boat. But for that I was wearing a wet suit and a life jacket. The anchor pulling us down just freaked all of us out. Yet, the truth of the stunt was that by the time I turned around to see the guy who had gone down, he was already on the surface. In the show it looks like he just went down and stayed there for a while. Read the comments. Everyone is freaked out by that.

Was any of the fear genuine? Of course! And all the stunts were “real” to the extent that the people in them were really there and really doing something very close to what you see on camera. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart any more than your best amusement park roller-coaster, which people will pay $50-$90 to ride. Those who were eliminated essentially got the chance to ride on a custom-made roller-coaster for free.

IT. WAS. AWESOME.

Do people really think that stuntmen in movies do EXACTLY what you see in the final cut onscreen? Those same movie professionals designed the stunts and prepared us for what was going to happen. The stunt was real. After having watched the first episode that aired, I appreciate the skill, talent and creativity of the folks who produced and contributed to this show.

In my case it was a dream come true. As an 11 year old boy, my 2 friends David and David and I used to imagine ourselves as stuntmen after school and on weekends. In one of our fantasies come to life, we’d ride our bikes along an iceplant covered slope and jump off our moving bikes and go rolling down the hill as if we were the Six Million Dollar Man.

THAT was real.

No protection, no planning, no cameras to later kick it up a notch via editing.

What my fellow contestants did on this show was less real and less dangerous than that.

Reminder to self… what you FEEL, what you SEE, what you HEAR, what you BELIEVE can all be manipulated. It certainly happens to the most gullible and credulous among us. But it happens to even the most logical, skeptical and rational of minds.

Dear Bishop, as is evidenced in the following post I watch way too much TV. All this TV watching is leading me down the path of sin. I need your help.

Bishop, let’s start off with the really bad confessions:

1. I have serious lust in my heart whenever I see Tristan MacManus‘ tongue on Dancing With The Stars

2. Speaking of tongue, William Levy could not even have one and I’d still manage to have lust in my heart when he opens his mouth…but the tongue certainly doesn’t hurt any.

3. I do love me my reality TV, Bishop. But in keeping with my self-righteous Mormon upbringing I am keeping it rather high-brow. I don’t watch anything with the word “housewives” or “Kardashian” in the title. But if it is a race or a talent competition, I’m there.

It doesn’t all have to be sleazy. I adore Guilana and Bill on the Style Network. Yes, Bill is a hottie! (Sorry Bill and Guilana). I’m also having real withdrawals from this big stretch of no So You Think You Can Dance (returns on May 24). Help me to get a life Bishop.

4. My heart is full of jealousy and envy today, Bishop, for the young gay teens out there right now. You see, when I was a young closeted gay boy filled with angst and shame I didn’t have one real or even fictional example of a healthy, gay adult. I didn’t even know a successful gay life was possible without landing me in prison or rehab. Now, they’re all over the TV for the current generation.

Real life celebrities coming out is hardly newsworthy anymore and it certainly doesn’t drastically impact their career in any negative way like it used to even up to the late 90’s. From the coming out of Neal Patrick Harris to Ricky Martin nobody cares anymore. And I believe everyone certainly has Ellen Degeneres to thank for that.

Now many TV Shows feature central gay characters. Cam and Mitch on Modern Family may just be my favorite, with Max on Happy Endings in a close second. But they’re all over reality TV and dramas too (Glee, Shameless, Whitney, GCB, Amazing Race, Survivor…).

The upcoming generation may not feel entirely comfortable in their gay skin but at least they have some characters and celebrities to establish a spectrum of normalcy that just didn’t exist for me as a kids. I mourn not having had that.

5. I know, Bishop, I know…. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s … husband” But if these two ever break up I’m placing my dibs on the non-famous one on the right. I met them both at a party the other night…and O.M.G.

Scott Gill has a brain and personality to match. Move over John Barrowman! (who I will grant is talented and handsome too)

6. Something about an antihero really speaks to me. Give me a Shakespeare’s Falstaff over Snow White any day. Right now, on Nurse Jackie Edie Falco has my heart as she portrays a drug addicted screw-up. She’s a mess and I love her. Or how about any of the characters on Shameless.

I know I’m supposed to strive for goodness and righteousness, Bishop, but I feel like I learn more applicable life lessons from these anti-protagonists. It makes me realize why the Book of Mormon is so dull with its one-dimensional characters.

7. Bishop, In light of confession #4 above I must say that I’m a bit smug and feel like gloating for the fact that I can’t think of one real or fictional TV character that represents Mormons well. I know there have been a handful of Mormons on Reality TV shows, mostly on The Biggest Loser or Survivor. I’m just not sure that that’s the representative demographic the LDS Church is looking for. The Mormon health code alone, The Word of Wisdom, obviously isn’t doing the Biigest Loser contestant any justice; and on Survivor, a contestant run will around in his Aaronic Priesthood underwear lying a little, taking the advantage of one because of his words, and digging a pit for his neighbor (2 Nephi 28:8).

The image that is seeping into the American mind via entertainment is erroneously coming from Big Love, Sister Wives, and Book of Mormon Musical. Yes there are some actors or characters who happen to be Mormon sprinkled throughout Hollywood, but unlike the gay characters I referenced above they tend to try to downplay their Mormonness whereas the gay characters are now allowed to be gay front and center.

As I’ve saidmany times, successful Mormons in the public eye are in politics (Romney, Reid, Hatch) or business (Marriott, Covey, Neeleman), not in art or entertainment. When they are in art, they do so by somehow compromising their Mormonness (wearing immodest clothing or working on Sunday) or their art (David Archuleta leaving it to go on a mission) or setting one of them aside altogether (Amy Adams, Eliza Dushku, Katherine Heigl).

Celebrities who happen to be Mormon...not characters in shows where Mormonness is a central theme to their character..and there would certainly be debate over how positive of an image some of these folks are giving the LDS faith.

It’s a little pitiful that after 40 years the Osmonds remain the best example out there of Mormon entertainers who are willing to BE Mormon front and center…and the Mormon church is left having to pay for TV commercials that portray themselves as average, acceptable and interesting neighbors. Most people don’t buy it.

I guess what I’m saying is that if I were a young teen today I still wouldn’t have a Mormon entertainer or TV characterI could look up to and tell myself it’s OK to be Mormon, be proud of it and in the public eye. I’m sorry Bishop, but I find that funny.

Like this:

As I detailed in an earlier post, Paradise Lost , Michelle Paradise is a successful writer, producer, actress, ex-Mormon lesbian who I just happened to precede at the same high school and college (BYU).

She preceded me in a journey of honesty.

Michelle is the brunette 2nd from the right, sitting down

Her new season of Exes and Ohs premiers at 7:30 tonight on the LOGO cable channel. Watch it if you can and if you dare! It’s wonderful to see her success.